Matthew 27:36
New International Version
And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.

New Living Translation
Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there.

English Standard Version
Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.

Berean Standard Bible
And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.

Berean Literal Bible
And sitting down, they were guarding Him there.

King James Bible
And sitting down they watched him there;

New King James Version
Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.

New American Standard Bible
And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there.

NASB 1995
And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there.

NASB 1977
and sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there.

Legacy Standard Bible
And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there.

Amplified Bible
Then sitting down there, they began to keep watch over Him [to guard against any rescue attempt].

Christian Standard Bible
Then they sat down and were guarding him there.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then they sat down and were guarding Him there.

American Standard Version
and they sat and watched him there.

Contemporary English Version
Then they sat down to guard him.

English Revised Version
and they sat and watched him there.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then they sat there and kept watch over him.

Good News Translation
After that they sat there and watched him.

International Standard Version
Then they sat down there and continued guarding him.

Majority Standard Bible
And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.

NET Bible
Then they sat down and kept guard over him there.

New Heart English Bible
And they sat and watched him there.

Webster's Bible Translation
And sitting down, they watched him there:

Weymouth New Testament
and sat down there on guard.

World English Bible
and they sat and watched him there.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and sitting down, they were watching Him there,

Berean Literal Bible
And sitting down, they were guarding Him there.

Young's Literal Translation
and sitting down, they were watching him there,

Smith's Literal Translation
And sitting down, they observed him there.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they sat and watched him.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And sitting down, they observed him.

New American Bible
then they sat down and kept watch over him there.

New Revised Standard Version
then they sat down there and kept watch over him.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they were sitting there and watching him.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they were sitting and keeping watch for him there.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And they sat down and watched him there.

Godbey New Testament
and sitting down, they continued to watch Him there.

Haweis New Testament
And sitting down, they guarded him there.

Mace New Testament
and they took their post to watch him there.

Weymouth New Testament
and sat down there on guard.

Worrell New Testament
and, sitting down, they watched Him there.

Worsley New Testament
And they sat down and watched Him there: and put up over his head his accusation in writing,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Crucifixion
35When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots. 36And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37Above His head they posted the written charge against Him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.…

Cross References
Psalm 22:17-18
I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me. / They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

John 19:23-24
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. / So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it. Instead, let us cast lots to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My garments among them, and cast lots for My clothing.” So that is what the soldiers did.

Mark 15:24-25
And they crucified Him. They also divided His garments by casting lots to decide what each of them would take. / It was the third hour when they crucified Him.

Luke 23:34
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots.

John 19:23-24
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. / So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it. Instead, let us cast lots to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My garments among them, and cast lots for My clothing.” So that is what the soldiers did.

Psalm 22:16
For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.

Isaiah 53:12
Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

John 19:28-30
After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” / A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth. / When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.

Mark 15:29-32
And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, / come down from the cross and save Yourself!” / In the same way, the chief priests and scribes mocked Him among themselves, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself! ...

Luke 23:35-37
The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” / The soldiers also mocked Him and came up to offer Him sour wine. / “If You are the King of the Jews,” they said, “save Yourself!”

Psalm 69:21
They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.

John 19:19-22
Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. / Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. / So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but only that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’” ...

Mark 15:27-28
Along with Jesus, they crucified two robbers, one on His right and one on His left. / So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “And he was numbered with the transgressors.”

Luke 23:38
Above Him was posted an inscription: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Psalm 22:7-8
All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads: / “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.”


Treasury of Scripture

And sitting down they watched him there;

Matthew 27:54
Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

Mark 15:39,44
And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God…

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Guard Kept Sat Seated Sitting Watch Watched Watching
Matthew 27
1. Jesus is delivered bound to Pilate.
3. Judas hangs himself.
19. Pilate, admonished of his wife,
20. and being urged by the multitude, washes his hands, and releases Barabbas.
27. Jesus is mocked and crowned with thorns;
33. crucified;
39. reviled;
50. dies, and is buried;
62. his tomb is sealed and watched.














And sitting down
The act of sitting down by the Roman soldiers signifies a settled, deliberate posture. In the Greek, the word "καθήμενοι" (kathēmenoi) implies a position of rest and authority. This was not a casual observation but a formal duty. Historically, Roman soldiers were known for their discipline and order, and their sitting down indicates a readiness to maintain control over the situation. This moment reflects the fulfillment of prophecy and the unfolding of divine plans, as the soldiers unknowingly participate in the sacred events of the crucifixion.

they kept watch
The phrase "kept watch" comes from the Greek "τηροῦντες" (tērountes), meaning to guard or to keep an eye on. This vigilance was not merely to prevent any rescue attempts but also to ensure the execution was carried out to completion. In a broader spiritual sense, this watchfulness contrasts with the disciples' earlier inability to stay awake and pray with Jesus in Gethsemane. The soldiers' watchfulness, though for a different purpose, underscores the gravity of the moment and the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan.

over Him
The focus of their watch was "over Him," referring to Jesus. The Greek "αὐτόν" (auton) emphasizes the centrality of Christ in this scene. Despite the soldiers' lack of understanding, their attention on Jesus highlights His significance. Historically, crucifixion was a public spectacle meant to deter crime, yet here it becomes the focal point of salvation history. Jesus, the Lamb of God, is the center of divine attention, fulfilling His mission to atone for humanity's sins.

there
The word "there" (Greek "ἐκεῖ" - ekei) situates the event at a specific location, Golgotha, the place of the Skull. This geographical reference is significant as it ties the crucifixion to a real, historical event. Archaeological findings and historical records affirm the existence of such execution sites outside Jerusalem's walls. The location underscores the public nature of Jesus' sacrifice, visible to all, and fulfills the scriptural prophecies about the Messiah's suffering and death.

Verse 36. - They watched him there. The soldiers, in relays, had to guard the criminal from any attempt of his friends to remove him from the cross - a long and tedious duty, during the performance of which they were allowed to sit. Crucifixion was not accompanied by immediate death. It was one of its greatest horrors that the tortured sufferer sometimes lived for days before death relieved him from his agony. Till this supervened, the guard had to keep watch. That this caution was not superfluous, we have intimations in ancient history, which tells of crucified persons being sometimes removed by their friends and restored to the use of their limbs and faculties. Josephus ('Vita,' 75) relates that he thus took down three criminals after a lengthened suspension, one of whom completely recovered, though the others succumbed to their injuries. This vigilance of the soldiers was providentially ordered as one of the means of proving the reality of Christ's death.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
And
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

sitting down,
καθήμενοι (kathēmenoi)
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2521: To sit, be seated, enthroned; I dwell, reside. From kata; and hemai; to sit down; figuratively, to remain, reside.

they kept watch over
ἐτήρουν (etēroun)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 5083: From teros; to guard, i.e. To note; by implication, to detain; by extension, to withhold; by extension, to withhold.

Him
αὐτὸν (auton)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

there.
ἐκεῖ (ekei)
Adverb
Strong's 1563: (a) there, yonder, in that place, (b) thither, there. Of uncertain affinity; there; by extension, thither.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 27:36 And they sat and watched him there (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 27:35
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